Meta has taken decisive action against internal leaks by firing approximately 20 employees, with company officials warning that more terminations are likely to follow. This crackdown comes amid growing concerns about confidential information flowing outside the company's walls, particularly details about unannounced products and internal meetings.
The Leak Investigation
Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold confirmed the terminations, stating that the company had conducted an investigation resulting in roughly 20 employees being fired for sharing confidential information outside the company. We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent, Arnold told The Verge. The company emphasized that it takes these violations seriously and will continue to take action as it identifies additional leaks.
Growing Frustration from Leadership
The firings follow visible frustration from Meta's leadership about the company's leak problem. CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his disappointment during an all-hands meeting last month, where he complained that everything I say leaks and called the situation value-destroying. Ironically, his comments about leaks were themselves leaked almost immediately, underscoring the severity of the problem.
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| Meta's leadership expresses seriousness over internal leaks during a formal meeting |
Changes to Internal Communications
In response to the ongoing leak issues, Meta has implemented several changes to its internal communications practices. The company has disabled the comments section in live presentations and eliminated the employee voting system for questions directed to Zuckerberg during meetings. Questions deemed potentially problematic if leaked are now being skipped entirely. Zuckerberg has also indicated that he would be less transparent with employees due to the persistent leaking of information.
Possible Motivations Behind Recent Leaks
The surge in leaks at Meta appears to coincide with recent controversial company decisions and Zuckerberg's shifting political alignments. Some reports suggest that internal dissent has grown following changes to content moderation policies, the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and statements about recent layoffs targeting low-performers. Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth warned employees that leaking information was unlikely to pressure the company into changing course, saying the opposite is more likely.
Broader Context of Company Changes
These terminations come during a period of significant change at Meta. The company recently confirmed plans to increase executive bonuses by up to 200% of base salaries while simultaneously laying off 5% of its workforce, amounting to approximately 4,000 employees. These contrasting actions have reportedly contributed to declining morale within the company, potentially exacerbating the leak problem that leadership is now attempting to address.